Aisyah Llewellyn and Tonggo Simangunsong – Protests continue to sweep across Indonesia following the passing of the unpopular Omnibus Law on October 5. Critics fear the legislation, also known as the Job Creation Law, will strip workers of their labour rights and open the door for environmental destruction.
The violent protests, which have taken place in over 20 cities nationwide, have seen thousands of demonstrators injured as they clashed with police who deployed tear gas and water cannons. Thousands more have been arrested. More protests are likely to take place next week.
President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, told a news conference on Friday night that the new law was meant to improve workers' welfare, dismissing reports that workers would not be paid during their leave.
"What I see is the widespread protest against the Job Creation Law is basically driven by disinformation about the law's substance and social media hoaxes," Jokowi said.
Bima, 19, a university student in Medan, told This Week in Asia that he joined a protest on Friday because he wanted to hold the government accountable.
"I came to ask for justice. The Omnibus Law cannot be accepted by society, unless we are all rich people," he said. "Our parents are labourers. Tuition fees, food, electricity, everything is very expensive in the Jokowi era. Setting up a system like this will bleed us dry. It's like the government is trying to kill us slowly."
"It's already difficult because of Covid-19, [the government] should not add any more difficulties with this new law. This law could make it difficult for the community, for example, if there are no longer any permanent employees employed at factories."
Bima denied allegations by the authorities that the demonstrators were anarchists and were paid for their efforts, a long held trope going back to the time of Indonesia's New Order regime, designed to discredit and discourage protests.
"The government is more anarchic to the people than the people to the government. The anarchism of the government comes from its ego and lack of care towards the public."
As of Friday, over 200 people had been arrested in Medan, according to local police chief Riko Sunarko, who said three of them, all high school students, had tested positive for amphetamines. Local media reported that the students denied having taken drugs ahead of the protests.
Thousands more were arrested across the country, with footage emerging of police beating protesters and journalists. Demonstrators threw rocks at police and set fire to public property across the country.
Jakarta Governor, Anies Baswedan, said on Friday there was over 55 billion rupiah (US$3.7 million) in damage to public infrastructure in the city, including bus stops which had been razed.
On Friday, protests in Medan took a decidedly different tone, with student groups staging a sit-in outside the Legislative Assembly building and singing songs, reading poetry and handing out flowers to the police who in turn passed the demonstrators refreshments over a barbed wire partition.
Fahmi Arafah, a 21-year-old student from Medan, said he took part in the protest because he considered the Omnibus Law to be against the will of the people.
"We came here to defend the people. It doesn't mean we are all workers, but we care about them. We see workers, farmers and fishermen and we see how this law wants to control them," he said. "For example, the starting salary per hour and paid leave will no longer exist [under the Omnibus Law]."
He said he hoped the aspirations of the people would be conveyed to the government, and expressed regret that the police erred from standard operational procedures by beating demonstrators.
"It should not be allowed, because their job is security, they should protect the people, not beat them," he said.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International Indonesia, criticised the use of force by the authorities.
"Amnesty International Indonesia believes that tear gas, like other non-lethal weapons, namely rubber bullets, can cause serious injury, and in some cases, death. When such weapons are used, they must comply with the principle of legality, necessity and proportionality," said Amnesty's Usman Hamid.
The deployment of the military at protests around the country, including in Medan, was also criticised.
"Amnesty International Indonesia urges the Indonesian government not to involve the military in handling demonstrations, as they are not trained or prepared to handle such situations which are completely foreign to their mandate and mission," said Hamid.
Rahmadani, 21, a student, said she was not afraid of demonstrations but hoped there would not be any need for further protests. "If rioting is a risk, then every path we choose in life also has risks, but we hope our opinions have been heard," she said.
The protests may be having some effect, as regional governors have urged the government to reconsider the Omnibus Law, and have sent letters to the president conveying the protesters' concerns.
In Medan, local lawyer Hamonangan Lumbantoruan, who specialises in labour rights cases, told This Week in Asia there was a need for balance moving forward.
"We need to understand the Omnibus Law, we can't just say that it is wrong. It is a product of the state," he said, adding that the law needs to be addressed through the proper legal channels if protesters' demands are acknowledged.
"Demonstrations are not a way out," he said. "We need to submit a Judicial Review to the Constitutional Court".
– Additional reporting by Associated Press